1. Field of the Inventions
The present inventions relate to a seat structure for a watercraft, and more particularly to retractable seats for small watercraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Small planing watercraft, such as those commonly referred to as “sit-down type personal watercraft,” can be operated with the operator sitting on a seat that is fixed to a top portion of the hull. For example, Japanese Patent Publication JP-A-Hei05-201276 discloses such a design.
Other personal watercraft, such as the “stand-up-type,” have no seat, and the rider operates the handlebars and throttle lever while standing on a floor section disposed in a rear portion of the hull. For example, Japanese Patent Publication JP-B-2757999 discloses such a watercraft.
Stand-up watercraft typically have a steering pole, the forward end of which is hingedly coupled with a front portion of the hull. This arrangement allows the pole to pivot in a vertical direction, i.e., about a generally horizontal pivot axis. The height of the steering handlebars disposed at a rear end of the steering pole can thus be adjusted by the, operator.